MYOPATHY IN LONG-TERM AZT THERAPY - CLINICAL, ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOPSY STUDY IN 67 HIV+ SUBJECTS

The occurrence of muscular pathologies in AZT treated subjects has bee n evaluated in 67 HIV seropositive outpatients (56 AZT-treated and 11 untreated controls) in a neurological clinical and paraclinical follow -up study. Standard electromyographic and electrodiagnostic examinatio ns, together with muscle enzyme determination, were performed in every subject, and periodically repeated at fixed intervals; in 11 patients a muscle biopsy sample was also obtained. An AZT-related myopathy was diagnosed in 8 biopsied cases; 9 more patients were considered to hav e AZT myopathy on clinical, EMG and ex juvantibus criteria. Statistica l analysis showed that treatment duration was more relevant to the dev elopment of the myopathy than AZT dosage, though an individual predisp osition could not be excluded, at least in a small number of cases. Th e risk of developing a toxic myopathy will therefore have to be consid ered when evaluating long-term effects of AZT therapy.